This is ...... What a great way to work a knife.

Amarantz's brilliant knives cut off all the poisonous parts of the hydra's flesh one after another to create sashimi.
The gourmet master and all the other members in the room were admiring his masterful technique.

What's wrong, doesn't that count as sashimi?

One of the Four Heavenly Kings, known as Spin, does not hold a knife in his hand, or even the foodstuff on the cutting board, but simply watches Amanes' work, and then he smiles quietly.

Do you know about my species?　War heroes.

"It was definitely the Sphinx.

"Yes, they are the keepers of knowledge. To us Sphinxes, knowledge is power. And knowledge is information.

Then we are astonished to see the meat that Spin has prepared on the cutting board.
Because that is the very meat of the hydra that Amanes is cooking right now.

Are you surprised?　I've been collecting various information over the last three days on what ingredients you prepare. But it's not the end of the story.

In the next moment, a spin of the knife in his hand is used to skim the flesh of the hydra.
The way it was handled, the way it was used, the way it was used to cut down on poison only, was exactly the exact same as what Amanes was doing right now, a movement that could be called identical.

You seem surprised. Yes, this is my ability, the ability of one of the Four Heavenly Kings to mimic the Holy Lion's entire skill set,"

Watching us with amusement, Spin begins to explain the tricks of this cooking competition.

I'll tell you why I chose sashimi this time. It's because, besides the recipe sealing, it's a simple technique only dish. And it will be the most compatible cooking match for me. Because my ability is the ability to perfectly copy my opponent's technique or technique with just one look. In a sashimi match where freshness with knife action is essential, it means that I will never lose to my opponent's food.

In the course of this spin, we noticed a clever trap behind the designated dish.
It is true that in other dishes, even the slightest difference in seasoning can make a huge difference in taste.
Even though the spin can perfectly copy the opponent's technique, there will be a slight margin of error.
But in this sashimi match, with a skill level equal to your opponent's knife, you'll never lose.

And both of you will be judging the Hydra's meat at exactly the same time and arranging it on the plate as sashimi.
Even the arrangement was exactly the same.

But the next moment, you'll be shocked again when you see the seasoning they've pulled out.
Because all of the seasonings Spin had prepared were exactly the same as those Amanes had prepared.

"I said I was done collecting information. I also know what kind of seasoning you prepare. And here's the difference between you and me.

At the same time, Spin sprinkles the seasoning he prepared on the sashimi one after another.
Then, as a finishing touch, you take out the seasoning that is not on Amarnes' side and drizzle it over the finished sashimi.

It's ...... olive oil!

My dad realized what it was and said, "Shit! and exclaim with a face that says, "Yes, you can complete the exact same dish as your opponent and put a little ingenuity into its finish.

Yes, you can complete the exact same dish as your opponent and then add a little twist to it. This stuffing turns an unbeatable game into a must-win.

And so the dish of spin is completed.
It's exactly the evolution of the dish Amanes perfects, a sashimi dish with more hidden flavors than the original.

But Amanes, still standing quietly in front of the spices, smiles slightly at Spin's sashimi.

...... Yeah, I knew it. I knew you had that ability. That's why I'm going to do the opposite of you with this last spice.

Saying that, I picked up a bottle of sake from among the condiments Amanes had prepared.
I poured a bottle of sake, which looked like sake, onto a small plate and that was it.

This is the war hero's sashimi is now complete.

I couldn't believe my ears when Amanes said that.
Because after this, I would have sprinkled some of the seasonings I had prepared for the sashimi, as well as the spin, to season it, but he said he was done with literally just sashimi, which he had just poured sake on a small plate and sliced with a knife.

It was a statement that made me think that he had abandoned the game.

Hmm. Now both of you are done cooking. The rules do not include spinning recipes as a foul. Rather, it's the skill of reproducing the method in front of you to such perfection with just one look that I admire, and with that in mind, we'll move on to the tasting.

With that said, the hydra sashimi made by Amanes and Spin is placed in front of our table, including the gourmet master.
The situation here is not good.
While the sashimi has exactly the same skill, Spin adds various seasonings to finish it off. This one just has a small plate with sake on it. You can't find a single point where this side is superior to Spin's sashimi.

"Wow, that's some fine sashimi.

A sweet and melt-in-your-mouth taste. The texture and crunchiness is different from fish and horse sashimi.
Sashimi from Hydra is a special treat.

Above all, this seasoning . Soy sauce, lemon, wine vinegar, and even olive oil bring out the flavor of the sashimi and make it more flavorful. The distribution of all these seasonings in good balance is superb.

Comparing the two sashimi flavors, both seem to be evenly matched in terms of simple flavor.
However, the spin sashimi had a deeper flavor due to the seasoning.
Especially the olive oil used as the final ingredient.
Olive oil goes well with seafood and has the power to intensify the flavor.
Honestly, comparing the two sashimi, it was purely a pure feeling that the spin-cooked hydra sashimi was slightly superior in terms of taste.

Now, the winner is announced.

While we were fretting, the gourmet master and the other judges had already finished their discussion and were counting down the winners.

We'll announce the results with an emphasis on which one of the dishes brought out the best of the designated dish, sashimi.

Ahhhhh!　Stop it already!　That's two losses for sure!



The winner is Amanes, the Warrior.

d*mn!　If there are only three wins left, the rest of us have to win

"Huh?

Not only us, but even our opponents' spins were astonished before the judges' announcement.

'Nonsense!　My food must have perfectly imitated your food!　It should be a head turner in seasoning as well!　So why?!

If you think so, you should compare your sashimi with the sashimi your brave men of war have caught. If you think so, compare your sashimi with that of your war hero.

The gourmet master prompts me to put the two sashimi in my mouth, and I follow suit, savoring the two sashimi again.
I follow suit and taste the two sashimi again.
Spin's sashimi is seasoned as it is and Amanes' is dipped slightly in the sake he has prepared and slipped into his mouth. Then.

......!　This is it!

"Slightly more crunchy and fresh than Amanes' sashimi.

How many times it tastes in the mouth it becomes clearer and clearer.
Meat that should be the same. For some reason, Amanes' sashimi was slightly crispier and tasted better than the others, despite the supposedly identical knife work.

Why ...... I should have copied your cooking method perfectly. Besides, even your last seasoning was better than ......, so why?

It's simple.

In response to Spin's shout-like question, Amanes shows off the knife in his hand.

"We can imitate technology, but not the weapons, right?

Spin realized at Amarnes' statement, "Ha!
That's right, it was the one and only item in the world that Amanes had created from the crystal golem using his creation skills. A knife that truly rivals a legendary weapon.

The better the weapon you use, the better you deal with your prey. It is common knowledge to those who use weapons on the battlefield.

I never thought that the crystal cleaver that I had been wielding around here would break the last stuffing!
But still not convinced by the biting spin.

'Even if it did, it wouldn't make much of a difference!　In fact I seasoned sashimi finished with seasoning and added flavor to ......

"That's a mistake, my dear Holy Lion.

My father interrupted Spin to continue, "Sashimi is all about freshness, knife work, and one more thing.

Sashimi is all about freshness, knife work, but there is one more important factor. It's about how to provide 'the taste of the ingredients'.

At those words, Spin again realized something.

"Isn't that ...... just a drink?

"Oh, but it's called a roasted wine.

Senchu. I've never heard of it, but my father explained it to me in detail.

It's a special kind of sake that was used before soy sauce was established in my world. It is made of simple ingredients such as sake and umeboshi (dried plum), broth and dried bonito flakes. But it's actually quite good. Soy sauce certainly tastes great on its own and goes with everything. But that's why it's too assertive.

With that said, I'm beginning to understand what the deciding factor in this dish was for Amanes.

But with this roasted sake, there is no such thing. The taste is mild and refreshing; it is thin, to say the least. That is why it does not kill the 'taste of the ingredients' itself.

Then my father compares the sashimi of Amanes with the sashimi of Spin.

Your food certainly tastes better as a dish. But Amanes' sashimi has a clearer flavor of its own. You said sashimi is the easiest to imitate and the final touches make a clear difference, right?　It's true. But you've used your own abilities and skills to overload the original designation of sashimi,

It's exactly the pitfalls of being absolutely confident in one's abilities and skills.
Realizing that, you literally spin falling to your knees.

I'm not going to say that ...... was based on this ability of mine from the beginning, and while I prepared the seasonings, I didn't use them at the last minute and used only one of them, Senchu, which was the real deal. All in the calculation ......?

"No, no.

To that spin statement, Amanes replied proudly.

I'm not going to be able to mix the spices with my skills, after all, I couldn't do it delicately!　So choose one more than Dad and the wise and brave. And I took your advice and chose this one!　That's it!

Not only were we stunned by what Amanes said, we were also stunned.
That a well-calculated mimicry of Spin's dish would result in victory because the opponent was an amateur in every way, and that it would be based solely on the ingredients.

But in any case, the result is the result.
Here we had a miraculous comeback. We got a win and a loss.